[Advaita-l] Four kinds of Non-existence (abhAva)

[kuntimaddi sadananda]

--- On Sun, 8/17/08, S.N. Sastri <sn.sastri at gmail.com> wrote:

1. prAg-abhAva- This is the non-existence of a particular pot before (prAg) it was made. This is known as antecedent non-existence. This has no beginning because this particular pot was always non-existent before it was made. But this prAg-abhAva ends as soon as the pot is made. It therefore has an end. 
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Sastriji - praNAms

Beautiful presentation - If I can add to it 

Hence the object is also defined as - prAgAbhAva pratiyoginI - counter to its antecedent non-existence before. Therefore every object is a creation. It came into existence during creation, countering its non-existence before its creation. Even though it is prAgAbhAva, it is there in potential form, as per advaita. Hence creation is not a non-existent pot coming into existence as in asat kaarya vaada but pot existing in potential form coming into existence into grosser form. Similarly all jiivas are in potential form coming into existence when the creation manifolds. 

Since avidya is not created -it is called prAgAbhAva apratiyoginI - that negates its creation since it is beginningless. On the other hand it can get eliminated by knowledge. It has no beginning but has an end by the operation of appropriate pramANa. 

Hari Om!
Sadananda